The Lady in White
by CallMeHannah
Summary: Young women are being hunted and killed, left in a serene pose in Palm Glade. But what happens when the case becomes personal? *Set after "The Body in the Morgue"* Please feel free to review - good or bad! :)
1. Chapter 1 - First Blood

The sea breeze floats in through the open French doors, the white cotton curtains, caught up in the breeze, look like ghosts as the gently rise and fall. On the floor, small, glitter-like fragments of glass are spread out over the faded pine floorboards. Weaving in between the shards is a river of blood, which has been meandering from the body for a few hours. She lays peacefully, eyes closed, her hands clasped gently together on her chest holding a bunch of white flowers, the white dress that she wears makes her look angelic. Her killer looks at her, seeing the crime they have committed, _she's at peace…_

"Jeff! You're going to be late!" Jim shouts, placing a sandwich into a paper lunch bag.

"I can't find my shoes!" The boy replies in frustration.

"Near the front door!" Jim suggests, knowing already that he would find them there.

"Got 'em!" Jeff runs into the kitchen, colliding with a box as he slides on the floor boards.

"Careful, we don't need another accident in this house," Jim warns him.

Jeff looks sheepishly down, smiling inwardly. It has been a few months since the fire; still some of the rooms had not been completed, the kitchen being one, boxes of cabinets and worktops remained unopened. With Callie in Atlanta, it had been up to Jim and Jeff to finish the house, but school and work had taken priority. As well as the wedding.

"I'm dropping you off on the way, you ready to go?"

"Yeah," Jeff sighs.

"C'mon then, we need to be off."

They walk towards the front door, then Jim's phone rings.

"Longworth," he answers.

"Hey Jim, it's Carlos," the medical examiner replies, "We have a body."

"Where abouts?"

Jeff looks up to him, knowing that the news isn't good. He slings his backpack on and opens the front door. Jim follows, replying to Carlos with a series of "uh huhs" and "okay"s.

Finally, Jim puts the phone down; almost immediately Jeff asks "Another murder?"

"Yeah," Jim sighs.

"You'll be late home, huh?"

"Are you kidding? I'm definitely gonna be home in time for our Fifa tournament tonight."

Jeff smiles back, "Yeah, and you're gonna lose…again."

"Ha, nice try. Anyway, you cheated last time," Jim counters.

"Did not. It's not my fault mum called."

"Yeah it is, you told her to call! C'mon, in the car or we'll be both be late!"

Jeff smiles, he misses his mum for sure, but with Jim around, the waits between her coming home seemed a lot shorter.

"Are you gonna give me all the gory details when you get home tonight?"

"Maybe, you know the drill, I don't tell you anything until you do your homework, and I mean all of it!"

"I've nearly finished it," Jeff lies, opening the car door.

"Word of advice," Jim replies, he waits for Jeff to nod before continuing, "never lie to a detective."

"It's hard," Jeff complains, sliding into the passenger seat of the Jim's Dodge, "I don't get any of it."

"Well, if you need any help, just ask," the detective offers, getting into the driver's seat, "Hey, I'm not as thick as I look… whatever Manus tells you."

The car starts instantly, and they pull away. Jeff's school is not far from the house, and they arrive moments before the first bell. Jeff makes a quick exit, racing to meet one of his friends.

"I'll be here to pick you up," Jim calls after him.

Carlos kneels beside the victim, and begins to assess her. Daniel stands close by, also surveying the scene, the pair remain silent, whilst other uniformed officers conduct their usual routine of dusting for fingerprints and taking photos of the crime scene. There is a commotion at the door as Jim races in, apologising to several officers as he rushes past them.

"You're late!" Carlos tells him, not bothering to look up at him.

"Sorry, I had to take Jeff to school," Jim explains briefly.

"You're taking this fatherly responsibility seriously, aren't you?" Carlos replies.

"Jeff's a good kid, anyway, what have we got?"

"Victim's name is Kaylee Lowe, 27, cause of death was a single stab wound to her left hand side," Carlos informs him.

Jim shifts a little, remembering the pain that he suffered receiving a similar injury.

"You okay?" Daniel asks, noticing Jim's discomfort.

"Yeah, I'm fine…so was this a robbery?" Jims quickly responds, trying not to dwell on it.

"Husband found her, he claims that nothing has been touched. She still has cash and her credit cards in her purse, and none of her jewellery has been taken," Carlos stands, "You'll want to check this out too."

He led Jim to the bedroom, the room was already full with officers, but Jim can see through the crowd what Carlos wanted him to see. All over the bed are clothes, some have faint blood stains on them, all had been removed from her wardrobe.

"Blood spatter indicates that these were move after the victim was stabbed," Carlos tells him.

"The killer dressed and posed her, this is one sick person," Jim shakes his head, having dealt with death almost every day, the people who have the nerve to pose their victims after killing them still freaks him out.

"We're going to get her back to the lab; her husband is in the front room if you want to talk to him," Carlos adds, before leaving the overly congested room.

Sam Lowe is shaking on a chair when Jim enters the room, he sits with his head in his hands and, through the gaps between his fingers, his face is bright red. Noticing the detective observing him, he sits up straight, wiping the tears from his eyes.

"Mr Lowe, I'm Detective Longworth, is it okay if I could ask you a few questions?" Jim asks softly.

Lowe takes a deep breath, then nods and signals for Jim to sit opposite him.

"I'm sorry for your loss, but I will need to ask you some questions so we can catch her killer, okay?" He starts slowly, knowing that direct questions can sometimes not help in anyway whatsoever, he learnt that when he was a rookie in Chicago.

"Do you know if your wife had any enemies?"

"No," he shakes his head, "everyone loved her… her family…her colleagues…me."

"Where did she go last night?"

"A friend was having a house party, she went but I have been away on business, I only got home today."

"May we have the name of her friend?"

"Moira Banks," he replies, visibly calmer.

"We are also going to check your alibi too," Jim adds, "please understand that we have to be thorough."

Sam nods, "Just please find whoever did this…"

He was cut off by Jim's phone ringing, he apologises before excusing himself.

"Hello?" Jim answers the call.

"Mr Longworth, this is Roy Jennings, I'm Jeff's Principal, if you are available, can you come in?"

"What's happened? Is Jeff okay?"


	2. Chapter 2 - Note To Self

As Jim walks into the Principal's office, Jeff sinks lower into the chair, trying not to make eye contact with the detective.

"Principal Jennings," Jim offers his hand, "what is this all about?"

The principal shakes his hand before offering him a seat next to Jeff. The boy glances up at Jim briefly, knowing what was coming.

"Jeff was caught fighting with another boy," Jennings replies, "two members of staff had to pull the boys apart, Jeff gave the other pupil a black eye." He looks disapprovingly at Jeff.

"Jeff? Why?"

"There has been little trouble with the other lad before, and a teacher who was there said that your son was unprovoked."

Jim turns to Jeff, who now has sunk even deeper into the chair and folded his arms in front of his face.

"Okay, so what happens now?" Jim asks.

"Jeff has been suspended for a week," the Principal answers, leaning back in his chair, "after that, he will be attending detention with me."

"For how long?"

"As long as it takes," the Principal responds, matter-of-factly.

"Okay…" Jim doesn't totally believe him, "c'mon Jeff, let's go home."

The pair rise and Jim shakes the Principal's hand once again.

"Hopefully, next time we meet, it won't be under these circumstances," Jennings adds.

Jim smiles faintly, before picking up Jeff's backpack and getting up to walk to the door. Jeff follows obediently in tow.

As the pair walk through the corridors, pupils stop and stare at Jim, noticing the FDLE badge clipped to his belt. Then they notice Jeff following and begin to whisper aside to each other. Both walk in silence, Jim doesn't look back at Jeff, who stares at the floor, ignoring the onlookers gawking at him and certainly whispering about him. As soon as the bell goes, the halls return to normal and the noise level rises back to its ear splitting normal.

Jeff gets in the car first, as Jim places his bag in the back. He feels so guilty, but strangely proud of his actions.

"Right, you gonna tell me what happened?" Jim asks as he slips into the driver's seat.

"Why? It's not like you're gonna believe me," Jeff mumbles back.

"There are two sides to every story," Jim tells him, "so, yeah, I may not believe you, but I want to know what you have to say."

Jeff doesn't reply, but covers his face once again.

"Okay, we're going to play that game? Fine, you're grounded. No X-Box, no TV, no laptop."

"What? Wait, no way!" Jeff cries, "That's not fair!"

"Jeff, you gave a kid a black eye, you're lucky you haven't been expelled," Jim raises his tone without realising, and Jeff, never having seen this side of him, slides deeper into the chair in shame, "I'm taking you home, and you're to stay in your room unless you need to come out."

Jim slams the door shut and starts the car.

"I'm sorry," Jeff mumbles again.

"Nope, you had your chance," Jim counters, "this isn't like you Jeff, what's going on?"

"Please don't tell mum," Jeff pleads, "she'll kill me."

"I have to, if your school already hasn't."

"Perfect," Jeff sighs.

"I heard you had to leave the crime scene in a hurry," Manus approaches Jim as soon as he enters the precinct, "Is everything okay?"

"Just teenagers misbehaving," Jim replies shortly, "is the body here yet?"

"The morgue, is Jeff in trouble?"

"He gave a kid a black eye," Jim explains briefly, "I don't know, it's just not like him."

"How does he feel about the wedding?" Manus probes.

"He's fine," Jim answers.

"Are you sure? I bet you were stubborn as a teenager, maybe you should talk to him," Manus suggests.

"Ha, I don't think he'll be up to that, I gave him a bit of a hard time before I dropped him off."

"Okay," Colleen holds her hands up, "you're new to this parenthood malarkey, good luck. Be thankful you missed the toddler years."

"I'll remember that when he won't talk to me tonight," he smiles faintly, "I'd better get going."

"Update me with any news," Manus calls as she walks back to her office.

"Hey Detective Longworth," Daniel waves from the morgue doorway, "I've got our victims whereabouts from last night."

"Finally, some good news," Jim tells himself.

"You okay, you look a little stressed?" Carlos asks as Jim follows Daniel into the morgue.

"Yeah."

"Parenthood?"

"Can we focus on the case in hand please?"

"My original cause of death was right, a single stab wound punctured the renal artery and she bled out," Carlos tells the pair, "poor girl."

"Anything useful at the scene?" Jim asks.

"No finger prints or unusual substances, we're still looking for her old clothes," Daniel interjects, "we've got Moira Banks, the victims' friend, waiting in your office. She gave us photos of last night's event, tech are analysing them now. We also got a copy of them for you too."

"Thanks, I'll get on with this interview…after a coffee." He leaves quickly for the break room and its coffee machine.

"Poor Jim," Daniel sighs when he is out of earshot, "it must be hard for him, looking after Jeff alone."

"Poor Jim? I feel sorry for Jeff who has to put up with him," Carlos jokes as he picks up his now lukewarm coffee.

"Miss Banks, I am Detective Longworth, thank you for coming in," Jims greets the visitor.

"Not a problem, Detective," she replies, "I heard about poor Kaylee, gosh, I still can't believe it."

"How long had you known her?" Jim sits down opposite her.

"Around 2 years, we met at a wedding fair, she really had a great eye for spotting the bargains," Banks replies, smiling at the memory.

"She was a good friend?"

"Yes, she wouldn't hurt a fly bless her, and she also helped me plan my daughter's party, the one last night. My daughter, she's so demanding, you know what teenagers are like."

"Oh I do," he nods in agreement.

"You have a child?"

"A son, he's fourteen," Jim tells her.

"Gina's sixteen," Moira smiles, "sorry, I'm going off point."

"Don't worry, I just need to know, did she have any enemies?"

"Charlotte, Charlotte Forman, she hated Kaylee for some reason, they go way back," she replies immediately, "there was a little dispute, but it was silly really."

"What about?"

"Kaylee wouldn't arrange a party for her children's birthday party, she said that she had enough on her plate already."

"Do you know what?"

"Something about work," Moira guesses, "sorry, but I have to pick Gina up from school, is it okay if I leave?"

"Sure, thank you for your help."


	3. Chapter 3 - Elephant in the Room

Jim stares at his murder board, pictures had already been put up by various officers, but Jim has just remained fixated for the past five minutes. _It would be a petty thing to kill her over, _he thinks, _a birthday party, really?_

"Jim," Daniel begins, entering the room, "all the tox screens have come back, nothing unusual, just your usual wine and other alcoholic drinks, I mean, some of these I've never even heard of."

"Huh," Jim murmurs, not fully paying attention.

"It's Jeff isn't it?"

"Will people just quit nagging me about it!" Jim retaliates harshly, taking Daniel by surprise, "Sorry," he quickly apologises.

"Now worries," Daniel replies, still in a little shock.

"The clothes on the bed, did tech find any finger prints?" Jim asks.

"No, the only lead we have is the argument last night," Manus strides in, surprising them both.

"I'll go and help Carlos finish the autopsy," Daniel tells them and is quick to leave.

"What were you shouting about?!" Manus confronts him.

"Nothing," Jim replies, trying his best not to show her that he is lying.

"Nice try detective, but I know that you're not telling the truth," she counters, quite pleased that she has outsmarted a smartarse.

"I just can't get this thing with Jeff out of my head," he comes clean.

"Go and talk to him, I'll speak to this Charlotte Forman, see if she had it in for our vic," Colleen offers.

"Thanks," he replies, picking up his jacket off the back of a chair, "oh but I don't think she did it."

"Oh and why's that?"

"Just a feeling," he smiles before jogging to the front doors.

"Yeah, and we all know where your little hunches get you," Colleen sighs.

She turns to study the evidence board, which is now filling nicely with information and photos. There is a knock at the door and Daniel appears.

"Captain, you're going to want to see this," he tells her.

She follows him to the morgue, where Carlos is already waiting, looking very self-satisfied.

"What is it?"

"Look what we found," Carlos replies, pointing to the victim's neck.

Colleen moves closer to examine the body, "make up?" she asks.

"Yep, it covers her whole neck, we're just in the process of removing all of it now. We've removed a small sample and there is a large bruise underneath," Carlos explains, "she was unconscious before she was stabbed."

"That explains why there was a concentrated amount of blood on the floor."

"So, our killer sneaks up behind her, chokes her until she is unconscious and then stabs her," Carlos begins to paint the scenario, "so why stab her after nearly suffocating her?"

"He wanted to dress her," Daniel responds, "this must've been a planned attack. He goes in, wanting to find her…"

"When she shows up, " Manus interjects, "he strangles her until she out, dresses her…"

"And poses her, then stabs her. She's still so the puncture is clean," Carlos finishes.

"The way he left her was so peaceful, the white dress and all, it's weird," Daniel adds.

"Could it be ritualistic?" Manus asks.

"I looked into that, but nothing so far," the intern replies.

"White dress and flowers…we all know what that looks like," Carlos suggests.

"Jeff!" Jim shouts as he closes the front door, "Can you come to the front room…please!"

He manoeuvres around pots of paint and boxes and sits on the still plastic packaged sofa, which faces the TV. Jeff appears at the doorway and leans against the frame.

"What?" He asks.

"Can you come and sit down, we need to talk."

Reluctantly, Jeff makes his way through the maze and perches on the arm rest.

"What happened?" Jim asks.

"Like you'll believe me," he huffs.

"Jeff, the key to being a homicide detective is to know all the facts before making assumptions," Jim smiles, "so what happened?"

"The boy that I punched, he's the school bully. He steals everyone's lunch money, but the teachers do squat to stop him," Jeff explains, "I punched him 'cause I'd had enough. He deserved it."

"Punching someone isn't the answer, unless they're trying to kill you then it's…" he notices he's going off on a tangent, so he reins it in, "the point is, you shouldn't do it. Why didn't you tell a teacher?"

"Yeah, loads of them hate me 'cause I don't do my homework," Jeff smiles briefly, before moving closer to Jim.

"You have CCTV at your school?" Jim asks.

"Yeah, why? You wanna see me in action?"

"Don't get your hopes up, but if I can prove that he has been stealing, you may be off the hook…" Jeff smiles overenthusiastically before Jim finishes his sentence, "for the detentions, not the suspension."

"What? Aw c'mon!"

"You know why we send people to prison?"

"To stop them attacking other people," Jeff responds.

"That, and to set an example to others to not do the same thing, so what would everyone else think if you got nothing for punching someone?"

"Fine, but it still looked pretty cool, me getting lead out by a cop," Jeff jokes.

Jim pulls him closer and ruffles his hair, "don't get your hopes up, kid!"

Jeff laughs and tries to pull away, but Jim is too strong and tightens his arms.

"Jim! I can't breathe!" Jeff laughs.

"Sorry," the detective apologises and releases his grip.

"You still gonna tell mum?"

Jims nods, "I'll tell her slowly…and I'll make it sound heroic too," he smiles.

Jim's phone rings beside him. He checks the caller ID. It is Manus.

"You better answer that," Jeff advises him.

"Yeah," he sighs, then presses answer, "Longworth."

"Jim, I'll cut right to the chase, we have another one, same circumstances as Kaylee Lowe."


	4. Chapter 4 - Second Kill

Isobel Van Santo's body is lying peacefully in the middle of her living room floor, a pond of blood beside her. From everyone's observations, the cause of death was the same as the first victim's; a single stab wound to her left hand side. She had been found by her roommate, who is now being interviewed by Manus. Jim passes them to find Carlos by the body.

"You talked with Jeff?" is Carlos's first question.

"Yeah, he's a good kid at heart," Jim replies, "so, same scenario as Kaylee Lowe?"

"Uh-huh, looks like the killer entered through the doors," Carlos points to the tall French doors that lead to the beach, where a couple of Crime Scene Unit officers were dusting for fingerprints.

"What about the bedroom?"

"That's where the similarities end, there are no clothes on the bed," Carlos tells him, "she's in the same pose, which tells us that it is the same killer, but that is an anomaly."

"So, the killer enters the house from the beach, delivers a single stab wound, then poses the victim with flowers…hey, Daniel," Jim calls the intern over, "are these the same flowers that were found on the first victim?"

Daniel stares intently at the bouquet, before looking up at the detective and nodding, "they are," he confirms.

"Can you get a list of all the florists that stock them?"

"Sure thing," he replies.

"Hey, look at this," Carlos grabs Jim's attention, he holds up her wrist and on it is a silver bracelet with the price tag still attached. Carefully, he slides it off and takes it to the roommate.

"Excuse me Captain, do you mind if I ask her a question?" He asks.

Manus nods, noticing the bracelet in his hand.

"Mary, do you recognise this?"

The roommate looks at the bracelet, and takes a few seconds to study it.

"No, I've never seen this before," she replies, slightly calmer than she was before.

"Thank you," he replies, then makes his way back to Jim, "she doesn't recognise it."

"Maybe it was bought by the killer," Jim suggests, "what if this is part of his ritual?"

"Or she bought it on her way home and never got the chance to take off the tag," Carlos reasons, "just keeping an open mind."

"We need to get her back to the morgue, get tests done," Jim makes the decision, "when we get back, I'll start looking for connections between Lowe and Van Santo."

"What was she doing last night?" Jim questions.

"You thinking that she was at that party?" Carlos replies, not diverting his attention from the body.

"…Yeah," Jim sounds uncertain before clearing his throat, "looks to be the work of the same killer, what was the time of death?"

"Based on lividity, she was killed between 6 and 7 this morning," Carlos estimates, "so, not a copycat."

"Not a copycat," Jim parrots, "hey, I never asked, what was the T.O.D for our first vic?"

"5 or 6 this morning," Carlos informs him, "our killer had a plan."

"We need to get a warrant for all the CCTV cameras between our first crime scene and here, if we're lucky we may catch him in the act," Jim plans, "I need to have a word with Manus."

"Why?" She buts in, scaring Jim but making Carlos laugh.

"Jim's had a brainwave," Carlos tells her, smiling, before returning to his work.

Jim explains his plan to the Captain, she nods in support before excusing herself to return to the precinct. Jim is about to walk away before…

"Hey," Carlos stops him, "I've got something."

He pulls a small piece of paper from one of the pockets on her dress, opening it up, small grains of sand trickle to the floor.

"Our killer didn't come by car, he came from the beach."

Jim paces in his office, knowing that the person that he is chasing is not afraid of cops, even committing two murders in a single night. Two single residences, both of which were entered from the beach, it would be impossible to find any evidence in the long stretch of beach that lies from crime scene 1 to 2.

"Okay," he speaks to himself, still pacing, "both women were killed within at least an hour of each other; both were left in white dresses with flowers; both purposely dressed by the killer…"

"Are you okay?" Daniel interjects, startling the detective who seems to be in his own little world.

"Yeah," he breathes, "just theorising."

"I found those flowers you asked me about, they were the same and rare, they're called Erigeron stanselliae or Veva's erigeron, you can only get them from a single shop around here," the intern informs him proudly.

"Nice work Daniel," Jim smiles, "Fancy coming with?"

"Sure," he beams, "I've got the address."

"Great."

Just as the pair walk towards the front entrance, Carlos intercepts them.

"I need a word," he tells them simply.

The Medical Examiner pulls them aside, out of the way of the main stream of cops doing their daily business.

"I had a hunch," Carlos began, "that bracelet was new, but not purchased by our vic."

"A gift from the killer, that's risky, Daniel…"

"On it," the intern replies, as if he could read Jim's mind, he hands Jim a slip of paper and runs off to his computer.

"Remember the clothes on the bed? We found no finger prints on the clothes, but I got in contact with the husband, he recognised the dress that she was wearing, but he said that it was a hand-me-down from her parents, something that had been in her family for decades."

"It was purposely selected for killing her," Jim adds.

"Yep, to put it nicely, our killer has problems."

"He plans every detail of the murder, point of entry, how he dresses the victim…"

"Where he plans to stab them, the entry wounds are both very precise."

"Daniel found the shop that sells the flowers at the crime scene," Jim informs the ME, "I'm on my way there now."


	5. Chapter 5 - Smiles All Round

The florist is open and bustling with customers when Jim arrives. The windows are lined with several bouquets of red and white and blue and white flowers, and a slogan is written on an ivory white placard: _Perfect for your special day…_

Inside, it is quite hard to breathe, the shop is filled with mostly women cooing over different types of lily and rose, whilst their friends agree over dramatically and their partners wish they were someone else. Jim sticks out like a sore thumb. One of the sales assistants, who is not being harassed by several enthusiastic women, sees Jim and makes his way over. He is a tall, lanky lad with short light brown hair and a smile to die for – well for many of the women in the shop.

"Well, hi there," the assistant greets Jim, "you look a little lost."

"Tell me about it," Jim replies, jokingly.

"Have you lost your partner?"

"No, I've come alone."

He seems to gain interest, "Oh, so, you looking for flowers for your special day?"

"No, I'm here about a double homicide," Jim lifts his shirt to reveal the badge, "Detective Jim Longworth, FDLE."

"Oh, sorry," the sales assistant immediately apologises, "how can we help?"

"You sell a flower called Veva's erigeron?"

"Ah yes, it's one of our best sellers," the assistant replies proudly.

"It was found at the crime scenes, we're going to need a list of all the people who bought the plant in the last two months," Jim asks.

"Sure," he leads Jim through the sea of people to the store computer, "some companies use the flower as well, do you want those names too?"

_Cross referencing?_ is what immediately pops into Jim's head.

"Yeah, if you don't mind."

The printer beside the desktop computer whirls into life, spitting out several pieces of paper which seem to have hundreds of names on them…each.

Jim pulls out his phone and finds the mugshots of the victims side by side.

"Do you recognise these women?" He asks.

"No, I'm sorry, I haven't seen these people before," he responds, visibly disappointed, "Maybe Rhian has, Rhian!"

He calls over quite a short woman, her blond curls and petite stature are enough to make any girls envious. Jim is surprised that she could hear him over the din.

"Rhian's here every day, I'm only part time," the assistant explains briefly.

"Yes," she answers, giving Jim a sweet smile.

"I'm Detective Longworth of the FDLE, I'm investigating a double homicide. Do you recognise these women?"

She stares intently at the photos, taking her time to examine each face as if looking at an exquisite flower.

"I'm sorry, I haven't seen these women here before, what happened to them?"

"They were murdered, we found your flowers at both crime scenes," Jim explains, briefly.

She notices the wad of papers in Tom's, the sales assistant, hand.

"What is that?" She asks.

"I was giving Detective Longworth a list of all the people whom bought the flower," Tom replies innocently.

"You'll need a warrant for that," she snatches them from his hand then defensively crosses her arms. The sweet demeanour suddenly vanished.

"You'll look more guilty, and I can get a warrant in five minutes," the detective reasons, "it's a lot better if you just hand it over."

She considers it for a moment, then hand the now partially crumpled paper to him.

"Thank you," Jim replies with the same sweet smile she gave him before.

"You look pleased," Manus comments as he enters the precinct, "what's got into you?"

"Things are looking up for us, but not for Daniel, I've got a new job for him. Where is he?" Jim replies smiling and waving the wad of paper.

"That poor boy, you work him to the ground already," Manus shakes her head.

"Maybe he should be paid more," Jim retorts jokingly, then he quickly retracts his statement, "sorry, that was low."

"You don't say, well maybe I can lower your salary so Daniel can have more," she smiles, deceivingly.

"Oh haha, very funny, you're kidding right?"

Colleen walks off, smiling to herself.

"Right?" Jim repeats, but gets no answer.

"Detective Longworth," Daniel addresses him.

"Ah Daniel, just the man I was looking for," Jim smiles once again.

"I got onto that bracelet found on the second victim, it was from an internet store, they're sending us details of all the customers who bought that particular item," the intern tells him excitedly.

"Good, I've got you something to cross reference it with." He hands him the paper from the florist.

Daniel's excitement fades, "the list will be here in the morning," he tells the detective, "I need to go otherwise I'll be late," Daniel looks at his watch then bolts for the door.

"For what?" Jim asks before he escapes.

"A date!" he calls back before the door clicks shut.

Jim takes a look at his own watch. _8:05pm._ He needs to get home.

Through the front window, Jim can see the obvious glare of the television, the way the colours fade into each other, he knew Jeff wasn't taking his suspension seriously. He over-exaggerates his footsteps on the stairs of his porch, inside, he can hear Jeff scuttling about, obviously trying to find the remote for the TV. The door opens before Jim reaches it, and is met by a smiling Jeff.

"Hi," he greets as innocently as he can.

Jim points to himself, "detective, remember?"

"How did you know?"

"The way your acting, you've never opened the door for me before…and the fact you can see the lights on the TV a mile away."

"I thought that you'd be staying later," Jeff confides, "I made my own dinner."

He makes his way back in as Jim follows.

There is a faint smell of burnt toast in the air, and a dirty plate next to the empty washing up bowl.

"How'd it go?"

"Under-done beans and burnt toast, okay I guess," Jeff sat down on the kitchen worktop, "I have done _some _homework."

"Good," Jim notices the stack of books on the table, "oh, and thank you for not burning down the house in the process of making your dinner. Once really _is_ enough I think."

"Have you told mum yet?"

"No, but I'm going to phone her tonight," he replies honestly.

"Okay," Jeff replies, accepting his fate.

"C'mon, let's tidy this place up," Jim tells him, "then maybe we can have a single game of FIFA."

Quick as a flash, Jeff shoves himself off the worktop and runs to tidy up his books.

Jim finds a chilled beer in his fridge, pops the top off and takes a long swig. Closing his eyes, he began to reflect on the day, another girl had lost her life and he was only getting marginally closer to catching the culprit. He's been looking forward to this all day, to return home for quality time with Jeff, some peace and quiet… and a cool, alcoholic drink. From the living room, he could hear the Xbox whirl into life and football fans chanting as the game starts up. _Just one game, _he tells himself.


	6. Chapter 6 - Into The Clearing

"Hey," greets the voice on the other side of the line.

Jim smiles, he hadn't had much contact with his fiancée in the past week, she'd been on several double shifts, and when she had been free, he'd been busy.

"Hi, how is everything?" He replies, like a smitten little boy.

"Fine," Callie hears the edge in his voice, "it seems like we haven't spoken in weeks."

"I know, I really miss you."

"I miss you too, how's Jeff?"

"Not too bad," he holds back a little.

"Something's wrong, what is it?" Callie asks, each word seemingly tumbling over the next.

"He's okay, but he got…suspended from school…"

"WHAT?!" Callie shouts so loud that Jim has to move the phone away from his ear, "Jim put him on the line."

"Callie, I've already had a go at him, he's been grounded and I've hidden the Xbox," he left out the part about the couple of games that they played earlier – playing two wasn't the plan, neither was Jim losing both of them, "I'll handle it."

"What did he do? Cheat on a test?" Callie has calmed down a little.

"No, he gave another kid a black eye…" Jim speaks quickly so he can make his point, "he told me why and I believe it, I'm going to speak to the headmaster and get this mess sorted out, I promise."

"I just can't believe that he would do something like this," Callie's voice is quiet, almost mouse like.

"Neither do I, but it'll all be okay, Cal, you hear me?"

"Yeah, thanks Jim, you're being a great role model to him," he can hear the admiration in her voice.

"I don't think that I'm that much of a role model," he sighs modestly.

"You are," she tells him, "I can't wait to see you, and I really miss you."

"Not long now," he cheekily adds.

"I know, I know."

There is a pause; both of them contemplate the time that they have spent apart, too long have they had the long talks via phone call every night, both waiting to savour the time they will spend together - face to face – for eternity. They spend the next hour or so catching up properly, both listen intently to their partner's week, every detail eagerly taken in. The conversation ends in its usual fashion; the promise to call as soon as they are both free and three little words that are filled with so much meaning.

Jeff is in a happier mood in the morning, with no school, he can sit at home, it's finding something to do that is gonna be the kicker.

"Hey," Jim greets him, as he heads straight for the fridge.

"Hi, you're up late," Jeff notices, "still annoyed at last night's result?"

"No," Jim replies, trying not to show his disappointment.

"Yeah right," he laughs.

"So, what are you up to today?"

Jeff's smile disappears, "I don't know."

"Well, you can do your homework, and start painting the front room," Jim lists, "just don't get paint on the furniture," he opens the fridge door and pulls out the tub of butter, "oh, you can tidy your room too," he puts two pieces of bread in the toaster.

"Anything else?" Jeff replies, a little too sharply.

"Jeff, you got excluded, you're house bound and there is a lot of things to do," Jim points out, "okay, if you don't get it all done, then I'll give you a hand later. Deal?"

He pulls a knife out from the drawer and skims it across the top of the butter.

"Deal," Jeff reluctantly responds, knowing it is the best option.

"Good," the pieces of toast jump from the slots in the toaster, Jim pulls them out and spreads the butter.

"You look happy," Carlos tells Jim as he enters the morgue.

"I'm not too bad, you?"

"Good," Carlos replies, "how come you never ask me that every day?"

"I guess today you're just lucky," Jim retorts in his usual comical way, "so, any news on our second victim?"

"Same cause of death, same make up used to cover the bruise around her neck, this is the work of the same guy," Carlos explains.

"But why knock them out? You strangle them until they are unconscious and _then_ stab them, it's a lot of effort," Jim observes.

"Maybe the killer has OCD, his victims must die in the same way as in his mind," Carlos suggests.

"No, there was no clothing on the bed at the second crime scene," Jim dismisses it, "unless the same method is part of the ritual. What do our victims have in common?"

"Daniel is cross checking the list you gave him and the receipts from that internet jewellery store, so hopefully something should pop up soon."

Jim stand there for a moment, deep in thought, "I need Daniel." He then shouts for the intern, and moments later, he appears, also in a good mood.

"Yes, detective?" he responds, "What is it?"

"We require your services," Jim replies, a cunning smile stretches across his lips.

"We?" Carlos intercepts.

"My services?" Daniel questions, "As an intern?"

"Well… as a crash test dummy, you're going to play the role of the victim," Jim tells him.

"They never said that this was part of the job description," Carlos adds.

"It was in the small print," Jim quickly replies, "so, I just need you to stand here."

He plants the intern in front of him, to which Daniel obeys without fuss.

"This isn't going to hurt, is it?" Daniel queries.

"No," Jim replies, "well I'll try not to. So, our killer strangles the victim until they are unconscious," he places his arm around Daniel's neck, "what's your immediate reaction?"

Without commenting, Daniel lightly claws at Jim's arm.

"Okay, but that doesn't work, so you fall unconscious."

Daniel steadily descends to the floor.

"The killer then stabs you, severing the artery, then poses you. There was a lot of contact whilst our killer was strangling these women," Jim pauses, "Did you…"

"Yes, we checked underneath their fingernails," Carlos answers, reading Jim's mind.

"And…"

"Checked the body for fibres? Yeah, I did that too, this isn't my first case you know," Carlos tells him, "among the fibres we found, there was only one that didn't match any from the crime scene, it's a thin cotton fibre, from overalls. The killer was careful."

"How did he know that they were unconscious?" Daniel asks, still on the floor, "did he check their pulse or something?"

"Maybe, we can check for any fingerprints on both bodies," Carlos replies.

"Daniel, any news on your front?"

"The scan hasn't finished yet," he admits, "but it'll finish soon, let me go and check."

He exits promptly, Jim makes his way over to the body, observing her face; that only a few hours ago would have been laughing and joking with friends. Now she is on a cold metal table, having tests done on her like a lab experiment. Jim knows that he must not get too attached to a particular case, but there was something about the crime scenes that make it seem…almost personal.


	7. Chapter 7 - Bullet To The Heart

Jim sits in his office chair, rotating gently left and right, deep in thought. _What does our killer want us to think,_ he asks himself, grabbing a sheet of lined A4 paper and a pen. He begins to doodle, letting the black ink flow randomly over the paper. _It's a ritual of some kind, the dress and the bracelet; they were the only two anomalies. What is their significance? _

"Detective?" Daniel appears at the doorway, "I've got the results of the cross reference, there are 2 results."

Intrigued, Jim joins him at the door, "I'm listening."

"Both women are the owners of wedding planner agencies, they both use the florists and online jewellery store," Daniel informs him.

"Have you got their addresses?"

Daniel hands him a piece of paper, "here you go."

"Thanks," he tells the intern, then squeezes past him to get to the car park.

On his way out, he almost collides with Manus.

"How's it going Detective?" She asks, raising an eyebrow, waiting for an apology.

"Not bad, we've got two new leads," he replies coolly, not noticing her subtle sign.

"Good," she forces herself to say, before he moves away, she stops him, "please watch where you're going next time."

"Sure," he calls back.

"Something bad is going to happen to him if he's not careful," Colleen tells herself, before continuing on her way.

When Jim reaches his car outside, he finds a piece of paper pinned between the windscreen and the wiper. He pulls it out. Somehow, the sky suddenly becomes overcast and it is colder…a lot colder.

_We have your son, _it reads.

He stands there, a weight drops in his stomach. _Jeff…taken…_

He's being watched. Someone's been following him. How did they know about Jeff?

As if it takes all his strength, he scans the car park, watching every flicker of movement, the passing leaf, the sway of a car's aerial, everything just seems so significant. Suddenly feeling alive again, he runs back inside, spurred with determination to find Jeff. Carlos hears him clattering down the corridor and leaves the morgue to find what is going on.

"Jim, you okay?" He asks.

"Jeff's gone, Jeff's gone," he repeats, too quickly for his partner to comprehend.

"Jim, slow down," he orders him. He takes the paper off him and reads it, when it sinks in, he widens his eyes. "Daniel!" He quickly summons the intern, "Get this to the lab now."

Daniel, without a second thought, takes the paper for Carlos and legs it down the corridor in the direction of the crime lab.

He turns his attention back to Jim, who is now pressed up against the wall, his head in his hands.

"Jim, it's going to be okay, you hear me," Carlos tries to tell him.

"Why would they take him?" Jim muffles from behind his hands, between his fingers, the skin on his cheeks begins to turn angry red.

"To throw you off their scent maybe? But you can't lose focus now, go home, see if you can find anything that the kidnappers left behind, I'm sure Jeff didn't go without a fight," Carlos replies, matter of factly.

Jim nods, not removing his hands, "What about our two new leads?" His voice is so muffled; Carlos can hardly believe that he understood what he said.

"I'll see to it, you just go," the ME tells him.

As he lowers his arms, he wipes away tears from his eyes, his hands shaking slightly.

"It'll be okay," Carlos repeats.

Standing on the porch, Jim stares at the front door. Over the past several months, it had been burned almost to the ground, and now this; it is no longer his place of solitude. The door is locked when he tries it, this isn't the point of entry; he locked it earlier. When the door creaks open, the hallway looks undisturbed with everything in its place. His trained eye scans every little detail, the urge to run around the house screaming Jeff's name is overpowering, but Jim knows he can't. His house is once again a crime scene. He walks carefully down the hall, being careful as to where he places his feet in case he stands on any evidence. In the kitchen, Jeff's books are stacked on the kitchen, where he intended to get on with his homework; one book has slid onto the floor. He was snuck up on. Jim clenches his fists, angry at himself for not being there when… he's responsible for him, how will he tell Callie? The thought hadn't even crossed his mind, he should, he really should, after all, he is not Jeff's father… Something stops him from reaching for the phone - it's not just because he may contaminate the crime scene – he needs to deal with this. Alone.

The crime scene unit army arrive a few moments later, followed by Carlos. They find Jim in the kitchen, leaning against the kitchen worktop.

"Anything?" Carlos asks.

Jim shakes his head numbly, he still cannot fully understand why Jeff was taken.

"Jeff's a smart kid," Carlos tries to sound hopeful, "maybe he's left us a sign, y'know like in those really crumby films."

Daniel appears from the back door, and before he says anything, Jim looks at Carlos.

"I've got something," he says.

An army of CSU's, along with Carlos and Jim follow him out, where he leads them to the swimming pool: floating on the surface is a small, leafy branch.

"That looks a little out of place doesn't it," Carlos observes.

Daniel reaches out and snatches it from the cool water. For a moment, he turns it over in his hands, looking at it closely.

"You know what it is?" Jim asks; his voice a little croaky from not speaking in a while.

"It looks like a seaside plant, hang on… it's a Sweet Acacia branch," Daniel confirms.

"Excuse the pun, but do you think it was planted here," Carlos suggests, "I mean, the sign on your windscreen, the lone twig in the pool…"

"Let me guess, this plant is only found in certain areas of seaside?" Jim asks.

"Yeah, just on Palm Glade beaches," the intern replies.

"Our killer is leafing us breadcrumbs," Jim gives his best wise crack, his hope growing.

"Oh, haha, wood you two leaf it out?" Carlos smiles.


	8. Chapter 8 - Precious Times

"For the last time Jim, you can't go in!" Manus sighs, waving more of the SWAT team into position.

"Colleen, what if Jeff's in there? Please I need to go in!" Jim protests, as a squadron passes him.

They had had a call a few minutes ago, a house in close vicinity to a jungle of Daniel's plant had been spotted with the door leading to the beach open and a body lying outside in clear view on the beach. The girl was described as wearing a white dress and having a bouquet of flowers clasped in her hands. From where they are standing, they can see her, but with fear of the killer still in the house, nobody had moved any closer to the property; Colleen had called SWAT in to help deal with their problem. They are ready to move in, and give the signal to Colleen. After acknowledging this, she turns to Jim.

"As soon as there is any news, I will call you in. It's personal to you Jim, in a high risk situation, we can't risk it," she reasons, knowing that she is making sense.

Jim nods, but runs to find his bullet proof vest, ready for the signal.

Colleen joins the team, pulls her gun from its holster and slowly they approach the beach house. Jim watches at a distance, waiting. From where he is, he can hear the waves running up the beach, the constant coos of local birds, the chatter of passers-by as they go about their daily business. The second tick by like hours, every moment disconnected from the next. There is little interference as Jim places the radio into his ear, a series of "clears" comes through and then Colleen.

"Jim, he's here, we've got Jeff," she tells him.

Without a second thought, Jim runs full pelt to the house, not hindered by the sand giving way beneath his feet. It seems unreal that they have found him so easily, but they have found him, and that is all that matters. Jeff emerges from the property, appearing none the worse from what has happened, as soon as he sees Jim, he smiles and races towards him. Within a matter of seconds, they are in each other's arms. Tears stroll leisurely down both of their cheeks, both of relief that the ordeal is over.

"Thank god you're okay," Jim cries, hugging him tighter, "what happened?"

Jeff pulls back, "a person wearing a balaclava came in through the back door and they had a knife. It already had blood on it, so I did what they said, " he gasps through the onslaught of relief and tears.

"I'm just glad you're safe," Jim hugs him once more, and this time, he isn't going to let him go.

"Jim, I can't breathe!" Jeff muffles.

"Oh, sorry," he releases him from his grasp.

They stare at each other for a moment, wiping the tears from their eyes, before Carlos interrupts them.

"Victim's been dead no longer than 2 hours," he tells the detective.

Jim tries to signal to the ME, trying to point out that Jeff is listening.

"You okay Jeff?" Carlos asks the boy.

"I'm okay, they didn't hurt me, they just told me to stay put until the police came," Jeff replies, calmly.

"Until we came?" Carlos and Jim chorus together.

"Yeah, they said that this was meant to happen, they said that she was meant to die, oh and to look in the bouquet," he adds.

Carlos returns to the body, where Daniel and fellow FDLE employees had already gathered to examine the body.

"You're coming with me," Jim tells Jeff.

"Where?" He replies.

"The precinct, you need to tell me everything that happened," Jim tells him firmly.

Jim puts his arm around the boy as they both walk away from the property, away from the crime scene.

"Jeff told us to look in the bouquet," Carlos tells Daniel as he approaches the body. He looks away briefly to see the pair walk away; he felt the pain that Jim had when Jeff was missing, if one of his girls had been taken…a parent's protection of their child is one of the most powerful forces of nature, this killer had made a big mistake going after Jeff. Carlos vows that he will do anything in his power to put this son of a bitch behind bars. For good.

With gloved fingers, Daniel pulls the flowers gently out of the bouquet, piece by piece, the red bow slacks with every flower that is removed. Suddenly, a piece of paper flies out, having been freed by the lack of foliage. He grabs it, and pries it open.

_One more, and this time, it's really personal, tick tock, tick tock…_, it reads.

The car's engine buzzes quietly in front of the detective and his son, Jim has a million questions, Jeff has only a few answers. They sit in silence, Jeff staring out the window, Jim focusing on the road. They didn't know what to say to each other, the adrenaline that coursed through their veins before has subsided, and they both feel drained and lost for words. Jeff had insisted that he was fine, but deep inside; he knows that the shock of what happened before will soon sneak up on him. Jim too was lost, everything just didn't add up. The killer had led them to the third body, they had led them straight to Jeff, this killer wants to be known. They're just something missing, and he doesn't know what.

"Did they say anything else to you?" Jim breaks the tense silence.

"No," Jeff replies shortly.

"What did they look like?"

"I don't know, she was wearing a balaclava," Jeff sinks comfortably into the seat.

"Wait a minute, she?"

"Jim, I'm a teenage boy. I know a woman when I see one!" Jeff smiles for a fraction of a second, before retreating back into silence.

The body is on its way to the morgue, leaving around 10 minutes after Jim has left the beach with Jeff. The decision has been made by Carlos after the discovery of the message. A copy had been made and the note is on its way to the lab for fingerprint testing. The killer has set a time frame; they may not have long before the killer strikes again. The word _personal _has had a profound effect on Carlos and Daniel; Carlos's wife and daughters were on holiday at the minute in London, he didn't go because of work. Daniel's family were also on holiday in San Francisco, this case had only become personal for one member of the team: Jim. They have to find the killer fast, and warn Jim. Carlos quickly dials Jims' mobile number.

"Jim, we need to speak to you, we found something on the body," Carlos rushes.

"Whoa, slow down, what is it?" Jim asks, slightly overwhelmed.

Carlos sends the photo via text message; Jim pulls up on the side of the road so he can look at the note properly. He reads it, and then his eyes widen. Jeff looks at him oddly as he reads Jim's body language.

Only one word leaves his lips, "Callie."


	9. Chapter 9 - Something Old

"Jim, Jim," Carlos repeats over and over through the phone.

Jeff parrots the medical examiner as Jim sits in the driver's seat, the phone remains in his hand, but he is as still as a statue, frozen in shock.

"Jim, you're scaring me, what is it?" Jeff asks.

"Thanks, Carlos," Jim tells him numbly, before ending the call.

"Why? Is it something to do with mum?" Jeff asks again.

Jeff knows that it is, just by looking at the detective.

"Jim, please, what is going on?!" Jeff almost shouts, his voice laced with terror.

"Jeff…" Jim tries to find the words, but nothing he can think of would be good enough. "We need to go to Atlanta," Jeff decides, "please, just DO SOMETHING!"

Something inside Jim clicks and he tosses his phone onto the dashboard. He puts the car into gear, flips on the sirens and lights and pulls out, the wheels spinning furiously; the force sending them back into their seats. The trip to the FDLE precinct is short, but extremely quick, they arrive within minutes.

"What are you doing?!" Jeff shouts, "We need to go to Atlanta!"

"Jeff, she would be halfway there by now," Jim responds, "I'm going to call Atlanta PD, get them to go round and protect her. I need to figure out who this person is, there is something that she wants us to know. Everything was perfect, okay?" Jim responds, calmly, but visibly deflated.

Jeff's eyes are red and he is angry, but Jim deals with their predicament logically, he has to if there is any hope of catching the killer. Jeff shakes his head, but he knows they would never get there in time.

They walk into the precinct together, making straight for Jim's office. Colleen bumps into them on her way to the morgue to see Carlos, but know not to interrupt them; it is something about Jim's demeanour that makes her keep her distance. She continues on her way to the morgue, where the third victim is with Daniel and Carlos.

"What's up with Jim?" She asks as she sees the pair.

Carlos shows her the same photo that he sent to Jim.

"Personal?"

"The only person who has any personal connection to the case is Jim," Carlos replies half-heartily.

"Callie?" Colleen concludes.

They nod.

"So, what connects these three women and Callie?"

Daniel looks at the girl, then his eyes widen. Quickly, he runs to his computer. Sensing he has something to share, Colleen and Carlos follow him.

"How could I have missed it!" Daniel tells himself.

"Care on telling us?" Manus enquires.

"I was looking at financials of our two other victims, they are wear white, yes? With flowers?"

"They're brides," Carlos realises, "but why keep the crime scenes different?"

"The note said one more, which makes four victims, what has four verses and is associated with weddings?" Daniel sounds almost quizzical.

Carlos and Colleen look at him with blank expressions.

"Something old, something new, something borrowed, something…"

"Blue," Carlos interrupts.

"It fits, the dress, the bracelet, but what about our third victim?"

All three of them look at her through the glass divider.

"The killer left something on the body," Colleen smiles.

They rush back into the morgue, and study her.

"What are we looking for?" Daniel asks.

"Anything that looks out of place, an odd sock if you will," Carlos replies.

They all study her once again, looking her up and down, at every detail, the grains of sand in her hair, the creases in her dress…

"Hey, look," Colleen points to a clip holding back her hair, it is a tortoiseshell colour, something that definitely is amiss with the specially chosen outfit. Carlos removes the clip with his gloved hands and handles it carefully.

Woven in between the clip's teeth are numerous strands hair, many are the same shade of blonde as the victim.

"Daniel, can you pass me the tweezers?" Carlos asks.

Immediately, they are placed in his palm. Gently, he pulls out a strand of brown hair and holds it up to show the others.

"Got you, you son of a bitch!" Colleen smiles.

"Err, that would be daughter, but never mind," Jim butts in, poking his head through the open doorway.

"You okay?" Carlos asks.

"Yeah, I've phoned Atlanta PD, they've got a protective detail on Callie," he replies, exhaustedly.

"Our killer is targeting newlyweds," Daniel interrupts, "something old, something new, something borrowed…"

"Something blue," Jim interrupts again, "…Callie's uniform, it's blue."

"So how did our killer find her victims?"

Carlos, Colleen and Daniel all turn to Jim.

"Why do you expect me to know?" He asks them.

"Hey, you're planning a wedding, who do you come into contact with?" Colleen fires back.

"We don't do much, we just leave it…to our wedding planner. Daniel?"

"I have the two addresses you gave me earlier, but we haven't spoken to them yet, because of Jeff," he responds.

"Call them in, we need to find her."

"Jim, it's half ten at night, what makes you think that they are going to come in?" He replies.

"They may employ a murderer, you think that might be enough to persuade them?" Jim retorts, so harshly his body tenses up as it he is going to explode.

Daniel moves quickly to his desk, like a schoolboy who has received detention for not doing his homework.

"You shouldn't treat him so harshly," Colleen frowns at Jim, "I know it's been a rough day for you, but there is no need to take it out on him."

The detective sighs before leaving the room, he is so tired and feels like a burnt out punching bag. When he re-enters his office, Jeff is asleep in his chair. As quietly as possible, he finds the blanket that he keeps in one of his cupboards and places it over the boy. Jeff moves a little, but settles quickly. Jim is amazed that he is able to sleep so soundly, after all that has happened.

It took him a few days to finally get over his first case in Chicago, when a teenager was killed. His stepfather had killed him, he had planned it from the beginning. It was horrific the brutal way that the boy was murdered, Jim would never forget. It was the most traumatic thing he had seen, that boy was only a few years older than Jeff is now. The fear that the parent felt for her son was the same that he had felt earlier. A single tear falls down his cheek, _if Jeff_ _was gone forever, how would he tell Callie?_ He couldn't bear it. He had never seen himself as a dad before, but after today, he knows that he has something more than friendship with Jeff. He would never replace Ray, but he'd make sure that he would be there for him, no matter what.


	10. Chapter 10 - The Final Push

Daniel enters Jim's office to find them both asleep. It is now half eleven, and he has managed to drag both of the chief executives of the wedding planner firms in by using Jim's line about employing a murderer. This case has taken it all out of them, the panic of Jeff missing, multiple victims, it is enough to exhaust anyone, police officer or not. Daniel knows that they are getting close, very close. The information that these women may give to them could hold the key to the whole case, he knows that he has to wake Jim, he know that he wouldn't want to miss these interviews.

"Jim," Daniel whispers, gently shaking the detective's shoulder.

"Huh," the detective groggily replies.

"The chief executives are here, Manus is going to interview one, you've got the other," Daniel tells him, moving away so Jim can stand.

He then hands him a file.

"Thanks Daniel, oh and I'm sorry about earlier, I was way out of line," he apologises.

"Don't worry about it, anyway, that line was what brought them both in. they don't want a scandal because it's bad for business."

After making sure Jeff is okay and then grabbing a coffee, Jim makes his way to interrogation room 2, where Cynthia Pollock is waiting. She is quite a large woman, with short, curly hair and a kind expression. She turns when Jim enters the room, and gives him a sweet smile.

"Detective Longworth?" She asks.

"I understand that you own _Picture Perfect_," Jim replies.

"That's correct, we are first choice for all newlyweds in Palm Glade," she boasts, proudly.

"Do you recognise these women?" Jim slides the DMV photos of all three victims onto the table.

Cynthia looks at the photos in turn, then when she has finished, she looks up at Jim.

"Yes, we helped these women with their weddings a month ago I think," she replies honestly.

"We need to know which of your employees dealt with their weddings."

"Of course," she pulls a laptop the satchel that is sat by her feet.

A bright light enlightens her face when she opens the lid, and then she begins to type. After a minute or so of fiddling, she spins it around to face Jim.

"They all had separate planners," she replies, "would you like their details?"

"Please."

Cynthia then pulls out a notepad and pen and begins to neatly write out the details. Jim excuses himself, and goes to the observation, where Carlos and Daniel are waiting. He greets them with a firm nod, they reply with the same gesture.

"Any luck with the other executive?" He asks.

"Nope, our killer works with this company. Manus cut him loose after she showed him the pictures," Carlos replies.

The three look through the one way glass at Cynthia Pollock in silence, something in the air around them seems almost electric, they are getting close, and they know it.

Pollock looks up at them, as if the glass isn't there, and stares straight at Jim. She nods, then stands, signalling that she wishes to leave. Before he leaves the booth, his mobile begins to ring, he excuses himself before answering the call.

"Longworth."

"Detective Longworth, this is Officer Carlson from Atlanta PD. We have a detail outside your fiancée's house now, nobody has shown up yet," a young voice informs him.

"Thank you," he replies, then the young officer on the other end of the line hangs up.

Jim slides the phone back in his jeans' pocket, before smiling to himself. _She is safe._

He meets Miss Pollock by the door, and thanks her for coming in at such short notice.

"I just hope you catch the person who has done such a despicable thing," she replies, before making a swift exit.

The piece of paper has been left on the table in the interview room. Jim picks it up and looks at the three names; Janet Rhodes, Lydia Ross and Rhian Simons.

Jim doesn't know how he got there, but he now stands outside Manus's office, his knuckles a few centimetres from the door, his knuckles a little red and sore.

"Come in," she calls from inside.

He shakes his head a little and walks in. From his expression, she knows that it's good news.

"We've got her," he tells her, "her name is Rhian Simons, she works at the florist where the flowers are from."

"Okay, have you tracked her down yet?"

"No, well, she's not in Atlanta."

"That's one less city to search, get a BOLO out on her and her vehicle, let's get her before she kills again."

"On the note she said that it would be personal," Jim thinks aloud.

"Yes, she was going to go after Callie, why? What is it?"

"I asked Atlanta PD to put a protective detail on her, but Simons hasn't shown. What if she wasn't going there? She just did it to throw us off the scent."

"You think _personal _has a double meaning?" Colleen asks.

"I do," Jim replies, concerned.

"So, what do you think?" She asks him.

"Can you look after Jeff? I need to go somewhere."

Walking out the precinct, he glimpses at Jeff through the glass door, he is still sleeping soundly, so Jim carries on, he knows exactly where Rhian Simons is.

The moon is out in full, it's reflection glitters in the water in both the dock and Jim's pool. He approaches the house with caution, his hand resting on the butt of his gun. The air is silent and disturbing. Jim makes his way around the side and finds her sitting on one of his sun loungers beside the pool. She stares at him like a hawk as his approaches her.

"Hello, Detective," she smiles, "you're not as dumb as you look."

"Man, if I had a dollar for every time someone said that to me," he replies.

"I guess you found your son."

His grip shifts tighter around his gun.

"Don't worry, I'm not armed," she holds up her hands.

"So, why did you kill them?"

"They deserved it, I worked day and night to pay for my wedding, then Jamie," she paused, "he died! Why should others be happy if I couldn't?!" She yells.

"How did he die?" Jim asks calmly.

"He was stabbed, because he didn't give the guy 20 bucks."

"Was the killer caught?"

"Yeah, but it's not enough!"

"You said that you worked two jobs, how did you manage that?"

"Florists 8-5; then planner 6-8, murderer was overtime," she giggles.

"That must've been hard," Jim replies, trying to keep her calm.

"Yeah," she sighs as she stands.

Jim moves closer cautiously, trying not to spook her. She remains beside the sun lounger, her hands by her sides, her head down.

"Killing people won't bring him back," Jim reasons.

"No, but it sure is fun," she sneers.

All at once, she looks up and pulls a knife from behind her back, she knocks Jim off balance and as he falls to the ground, she slashes at his arm.

"Nice shirt," she sweetly smiles at him.

Jim hadn't realised that his shirt was blue, but that is his least concern. He clutches the top of his arm, pressing down hard on the wound. Blood seeps through his fingers, from underneath he can feel the gash widening.

She repositions the knife in her hands so that the blade is facing downwards.

"Goodbye Detective," she almost laughs as she lifts the knife above her head.


	11. Chapter 11 - Safe and Sound

A gunshot comes out of nowhere. The bullet hits her on the shoulder, she screams as she falls to the ground close to Jim. In disbelief, Jim freezes, not knowing if the person who shot her is friend or foe.

"Jim?"

He relaxes, it's Manus. sitting up, he is a little light headed and has to take a few deep breaths before he can speak. Slowly, he stands, his arm suddenly reacts to the deep slash under his fingers and he winches with the pain. _Yet another injury_, he thinks.

Manus, Carlos and another guest approach him.

"Jim, you hurt?" Carlos asks him, whilst Manus deals with the Simons.

"Yeah," he sighs painfully.

His eyesight is a little blurry, he can just make out Carlos in front of him.

"We've got her," he smiles.

"Oh, Jim, why do you always end up getting injured in one way or another?"

That is not Carlos, it is a feminine voice. One that, for the past few months, he has only heard through a phone.

"Callie?" Jim asks.

"Yeah, it's me," she replies, "c'mon, follow me."

She holds his hand and guides him towards blue flashing lights, his vision is beginning to improve already and he is able to make out his car among other police cars and an ambulance.

"Why is it that every time I return here, you're always in a bad way, and with a knife?!" Callie asks him, smiling, "You hit your head?"

"Yeah," he breathes out, glad that she has returned.

He turns to her and watches as she tends to the wound.

"Jeff is still at the precinct," she tells him, "and before you ask, I noticed that detail you put on me; that is how I found out about you going after the killer."

"I didn't expect her to have a knife," Jim tells her, trying to sound as innocent as he can.

Something cold touches the edge of the cut and he winces.

"Don't be such a baby," she scolds him, playfully, "like you did with that damn snake bite."

"Hey, that actually really hurt," he retorts in the same manner, "how bad is it?"

"Well, you're gonna need stitches for sure," she assesses, "c'mon, we need to vacate this for the killer."

Rhian Simons is handcuffed to the ambulance trolley, a gauze pressed to her left shoulder. Jim moves so they can load her in, and is approached by Colleen.

"That's the last time you go in alone Longworth," she tells him firmly, "understand?"

"I need to get him to the hospital," Callie interrupts, before leading Jim away.

"Not a chance," he whispers to Callie.

The wait at the hospital was quicker than they expected, so Callie was able to get Jim's wound sewn up and they were out within an hour. They pick Jeff up on the way back from the hospital and as soon as they get home, all three collapse on the sofa. It's three in the morning and they are all exhausted from the day, Jeff tells his mum about the kidnapping, and pretty much explains the whole case to her. Jim, meanwhile, has fallen asleep between them, in the comfort of Callie, Jeff and strong painkillers.

"I'm sorry for everything mum," Jeff apologises.

"Let's just deal with one thing at a time," she replies.

They both lean on Jim before drifting off to sleep.

Unbeknownst to them that they are being watched…

*******The end.*******

**A/N: Thank you to all those who have made it this far, I really appreciate all the reviews and comments.*Fingers crossed*, I will be writing another one soon, but I have a lot of work at the minute, so it may be a few weeks. **

**Thanks once again, Han. **


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